Barges? That’s right; each vessel consist of a barge base, on which a structure made out of shipping containers has been constructed. Once it was worked out that Google was behind these things, speculation started trying to ascertain just what they were to be used for. One idea that got a lot of early traction was that Google was constructing sea-bound data centers, using all that cold water to save on cooling costs. However, a new report out yesterday describes the inside of these structures as consisting of a three-story showroom with a “party deck” up top.

And just like those earlier rumors about Google retail stores, these barges are supposed to be used to help sell Glass, as well as other high-end Google X projects. There’s only one hitch – according to sources, these barges are for the elite – that means that any Glass demos Google might be using them for would be invitation only, catering to celebs and wealthy business interests. If that’s true, it definitely puts a damper on the news, but it’s still interesting to see Google getting into a project like this all the same, and this effort might help ease it into building more traditional stores in the future.